Footwear



Sept. 29, 194-2. p w s 2,297,595

FOOTWEAR Filed Dec. 13, 1941 Patented Sept. 29, 1942 UNETE STATS EEQE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to footwear, and, as illustrative of one important development thereof, I shall discuss the same particularly as utilized to produce that class of footwear identifled as sandals. Sandals are held on the foot by a plurality of straps which cross over the fore part and by other straps which encircle the back and sides of the heel and are connected to the straps on the fore part over or to one side of the instep.

In my copending applications, Serial Nos. 410,800 and 419,761, I disclosed a method of manufacture and a novel shoe or sandal in which the uppers were secured to the insole by passing spaced members such as tabs through slots in the insole, the material bridging the spaces between the tabs abutting or bearing upon the material between the slots to limit the extent to which the tabs might be pulled beneath the insole to which they were secured by cement so as to lie between that insole and the outsole of the finished shoe or sandal. In such cases the members were held in place entirely by the cement or other means which secured the tabs on to the bottom of the insole, this later being reinforced by the means uniting the insole and the outsole.

My present invention represents an improvement over such methods and articles in that the tabs or equivalent members are securely anchored beneath the insole independently of any cement, this being utilized only to hold the flattened inturned tab ends in position beneath the insole, and later to secure that sole to the outsole.

According to my present invention, each tab at its end is provided with an anchor stop member of greater width than the adjacent tab portion. lhis relatively wide anchor stop is forced 7 through a subjacent slot in the insole of the sandal or shoe of which it is to form a part, which slot is of lesser length than the width of the anchor which passes through it. So inserted, the sides of the anchor spring back to normal and serve to lock the tab securely in its slot from which it can not be removed by any application of force short of that sufficient to actually tear the material of which the tab or insole may be made.

So inserted in the slots, the relatively wide anchors on the tab ends are turned in under the lower surface of the insole and cemented to the same in the manner described in my copending cases above referred to.

Both the fore and heel straps of a sandal made according to my invention are provided with anchor stops similarly secured to the insole at the proper points. The heel straps consist usually of a relatively wide strap which extends on each side from just rearwardly of the shank back and up over the heel. Over this strap, passing diagonally in the opposite direction, are ankle straps which extend from the back side portions of the heel forwardly up over the instep of the wearer, these two last named straps being joined together at some appropriate point over or to one side of the instep to fasten the sandal on the foot. The ends of the heel straps have tabs which are secured through slots in the heel portion of the insole as do also the straps making up the fore part of the sandal.

It will thus be seen that not only is the upper positively secured to the insole independently of any of the usual fastening means but the connections are all made beneath the insole so that there is absolutely nothing above that sole to interfere with the comfort of the wearer. Furthermore, the straps which cross diagonally at the sides of the heel in a sandal tend to hold the same firmly in place in the sandal, whether or not the same is provided with an outer heel.

It will be understood that like the inventions disclosed in earlier applications referred to above, only the pattern from which my improved article of footwear, as the sandal referred to herein, is made is molded on a last. Thus all the improvements of manufacture and method which were involved in said earlier inventions are inherent herein.

In the accompanying drawing I have illustrated and in the following specification shall describe a practical embodiment of my invention. In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a sandal in accordance with my invention, showing the anchor stops on the ends of the straps extending through the slots in the insole prior to the same being flattened and cemented to the bottom of the insole.

Fig. 2 is a plan of the bottom of the insole after the tabs have been turned under and cemented to the same, and

Fig. 3 is a plan of the instep member of the sandal of Fig. 1.

A sandal made in accordance with my invention comprises the insole I, provided with suitably spaced slots 2 along its edge, and an upper 3 made up of a plurality of fore straps such for example as 4, 5 and 6, and heel straps 1 and 8.

The fore straps 4, 5 and 6 are suitably laced through a tongue-like instep covering member 9. If desired, as shown in Fig. 3, this member may have two forwardly extending straps II! which are carried through the first two or toe slots 2a of the insole. These straps I obviously may be omitted and the straps 4, and 6 eX- tended transversely over the toe and fore part of the foot, their ends being appropriately anchored to the insole by the anchors or tabs 4a, 5a and 6a which pass through the slots 41), 5b, and 6b.

The heel strap I is provided with anchors or tabs la which are inserted through the proper slots lb. Over this relatively wide strap 1 lie the ankle straps 8 which are provided with suitable tabs 8a passing through the slots 817, all as shown in Fig. 1. These straps are held in position over the strap 1 by guiding the same through slots 10, and over the instep by guiding one through the slots 90 in the instep tongue 9.

As clearly shown in Fig. 1, the anchors or tabs 4a, 5a, 6a, 1a, and 8a, are each of slightly different contour. This is necessary in order to adapt the same when flattened down to the contours of the insole, under and to the bottom of which each is suitably secured as by latex or other cement. These contours will vary somewhat according to the size and shape of the last on which the original pattern was fitted. All of the tabs however are shaped to provide their function of anchoring straps or similar members in the slots. Thus each is of greater width than the length of the slot which receives it, and the projecting anchoring sides of each definitely prevent any slipping of the tabs 4a, 5a, 6a, 1a, or 8a back through the corresponding slots 4b, 5b, 6b, lb, or 8b.

The tabs are further held securely in place by the cement which bonds them flatly against the bottom of the insole I. After cementing, they are suitably pressed into place, and over them is secured to the insole an outsole (not shown) in accordance with the usual practice of shoemak- It will be apparent from the above that in my present invention I not only secure all the advantages of my earlier inventions as disclosed in my said applications for patent, but I effectively avoid any possibility of the straps of those shoe structures from pulling out or up from beneath the bottom of the insole to which they are usually held only by cement and the additional cement or other means which unites the insole and outsole. Furthermore, in each case the strap or tab is not weakened by cutting out its middle portion to provide a bridge spanning the space between adjoining slots as in my earlier inventions, but the \downturned and inturned tabs or anchors are in each case of greater size and strength than is that portion of the strap above the insole.

As a further improvement over my earlier inventions, I provide in the present instance for the anchoring of the upper with respect to the insole so that there can be no dislodging or pulling of one with respect to the other either up or down. Thus as shown in Fig. 1, to limit the extent to which the upper tab members can be pulled down beneath the insole, I may form the same near their ends with shoulders as 8, which shoulders bear against the upper surface of the insole on either side of the registering slot. Inasmuch as the tabs or anchor portions 4a,, 5a, 6a, 1a,, 8a which have passed through the slots in the insole prevent the upper members from being pulled back through the slots, and the shoulders such as 8' prevent them from being pulled down beneath the insole, the relation of each member with respect to the other is permanently ensured.

Obviously the straps, tabs and slots may be of varying number, size and location, and the straps may be combined and united to each other in any desired fashion or design without departing from the spirit of my invention if within the limits of the appended claim.

What I therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

In an article of footwear, an insole having a plurality of spaced slots about its margin, and an upper structure including a plurality of pieces of upper material assembled to said insole, said pieces having terminal portions formed as tapered heads the side edges of which converge toward the terminal ends thereof and said terminal ends being of less length than the corresponding slots of the insole and said heads having at their rear edges transversely outwardly extending shoulders which are wider than the forward edges of said heads and are wider than said slots, said heads being sufficiently flexible to enable them to be bent upon themselves and passed through the slots from above and to be folded inwardly against and secured to the under face of the insole with said shoulders abutting the material of the insole spacing said slots to thereby prevent upward movement of the upper structure in said slots when a predetermined relationship between the upper structure and insole has been established.

PHILIP WEINSTAT. 

